“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Ferris Bueller

The wise words of Ferris Bueller.

Life does move fast. We get caught up in the day to day of work and kids and washing, and day after day ticks over, week after week and year after year. Many of us are busy with other people’s needs. We take care of the kids, we help husbands and partners. We’re there for our parents, our siblings and our friends. We volunteer to assist in our communities and schools. We attend sports. We work jobs.

In the middle of all this responsibility lies you. Keeping it all together, yet somehow invisible. So focused on everyone and everything else that there’s no thought left for who you are, what you want and what you need. Another year goes by and you’re no closer to being you.

Well it’s a new year and it’s time for a fresh start. This is your chance to make the year ahead a brilliant 2017. A year where you rediscover what you want and work towards your goals, your plans and your happiness. It’s time to stop and look around. To get thoughtful and determined. To make sure that life doesn’t pass you by.

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it.

This exercise will get you focused on your brilliant year ahead. Don’t think about the kids, or the family, or your partner. Think only about you and what’s important for you.

Step 1: Take time to create a big vision for 2017.

It’s time to dream and that takes time. Carve out an hour or two for yourself. Find a pen and paper and a quiet place.

Step 2: Suspend logic

This is not the moment to be practical. Put away the ‘why it won’t work’ thinking and stir your imagination. You need to think big.

Step 3: Imagine the best 2017. Ever.

Ask yourself the following questions.

What would you love to achieve during 2017?

What does a perfect 2017 look like?

If you got to the end of 2017 feeling utterly satisfied, what has happened to get you to that point?

Imagine being your best possible self in 2017 (happy, fulfilled, satisfied) what are you doing? How is daily life different to today? It may help to consider each area of your life – your work, your home life, your health, your relationships.

Print out the worksheet to help you keep your thoughts in one place to refer back to.

If you’re a visual person you can create a ‘vision’ board with images of your perfect 2017. Make a note of picture of your thoughts, ideas and grand plans. Get as specific as you can but don’t get stuck thinking about why it won’t work. Everything is possible right now. This is the dream.

Why it works

Writing about your big life goals is a simple path to hope, happiness, optimism and motivation. Many studies show that taking the time to write about how we want life to look boosts our happiness and increases our satisfaction with life. A clear vision of our perfect future also helps us to:

Make the best decisions and choices when life’s distractions and others’ needs threaten to derail us.

Find the motivation we need to stick with and achieve our goals

Believe in ourselves and our dreams.

Once you have an exciting vision of the life you want to achieve in 2017 you are ready to make it happen. You’ve prepared your mind to see opportunities and your heart to take chances.

Now it’s time to get that shiny new diary, journal or desk planner and map out the action you will take during the year to make your vision reality. Don’t overload yourself in January though. You’ve got all year.

Done it?

Great work. You’ve started creating your best year yet. You’ve stepped outside the everyday and reminded yourself that your happiness is important.

This is the first in a series of posts designed to help you be the best and happiest that you can be in 2017. We’ll delve a little deeper into goals and how to conquer them. There will be tips for beating procrastination and we’ll find some simple ways to calm a busy mind. Come along and make 2017 your best year yet.

Ellen Jackson from Potential Psychology is a psychologist who does things differently. She writes about everyday people and why we do what we do. When she’s not tapping at the laptop she coaches, she teaches and she helps workplaces to solve their people problems.